An inventory of aquatic plants on Clear lake: all’s clear!

Jacques Pigeon Environment

When the MRC launched its program to identify invasive and indigenous plants in the lakes of  Argenteuil, I raised my hand and proposed to include Clear lake. The 56 page interesting report drafted by the CRE Laurentides (Environment Council)  has just been made available and if you wish to practice your French, you will find it here.

The inventory was done in 25 lakes – including such lakes as  Louisa, Bixley, and Hugues –  and, thank God, no exotic or invasive plants were found in the lakes surveyed. This is comforting but we should not forget that 40 lakes in Laurentians have to deal with Eurasian Watermilfoil, an extremely invasive plant that can destroy a lake. Also, there is some of it in a couple of landing stages on the Ottawa River in Brownsburg-Chatham. So we must be very vigilant!

Back to Clear lake. Thirteen varieties of plants were found, according to the report. In all the 25 lakes, the count is between 9 and 32. Which is to say there are not that many.

Clair carte herbier

The verdict of the biologist who directed our work was non equivocal: dam nice lake! If you look carefully at the map, your will find that the plants are concentrated in five bays around the lake.

I have prepared for you a page with pictures and names of the plants that you will find here.

Any questions?

PS. I have twelve pictures, not 13, because I think there is some confusion around the many varieties of Pondweed. There are so many varieties. Like Heinz products!

 

6 thoughts on “An inventory of aquatic plants on Clear lake: all’s clear!”

  2. Don Sutherland

    Thanks for the great report. It is nice to be able to attach names to the plants I have known for decades. I was surprised to see that water lilies and water-shields, which look similar, are two different plants. Two of the photos are labeled “Seven-angled Pipewort”. Does this plant look different during the stages of its growth or is one of the photos mislabeled?

  3. John Nolan

    Thanks for taking the time and effort to include the photos of the lake plants.

  4. jacques_pigeon Post author

    Many thanks Don for spotting my mistake. One of the pictures was mislabelled I photographed the plant (Rubanier – Sparganium) close to my dock. I have made the correction on the page. I must say this is the most challenging page I have ever built!

  5. Claudette Hay

    Thank you for making all of us around the lakes aware of their plant presence. It looks like introducing as few things as possible in the lakes is important, especially the good advice given about rinsing & cleaning kayaks when going from lake to lake. We’re still happy to see that the shallow parts of water near us aren’t showing any proliferation of plant growth, a lake’s healthy sign. Nice work.